Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Those Amazing Foundations!

The Four Foundations the Creator Made…
and Built Upon

“This is going to be exciting,” exclaims our inquisitive Observer. “We will get to see the actual foundations. They tell us these are absolutely unique, never seen before!”

“Yes, the Creator specially designed them for the unique world He had in mind,” our Guide chimes in

The Great Builder was setting out in a new direction—a direction never before seen in all the Universe. He contemplated the barren, rocky planet before Him. It was empty, shrouded in darkness! It was without any sign of life! But in the eye of the Master Architect, that barren, rocky planet was like a painter’s canvas—fresh and new, waiting for the first stroke of the Master’s brush.

In the beginning, You Lord laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. (Hebrews 1:10).

All things were created by Christ who is the visible image of the invisible God, in the earth and in the heavens, visible and invisible. All things were created through Him and for Him. He existed before all things, and in Him all things are held together (Colossians 1:16, 17).

He… lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all things that are in it, the earth and everything that is on it and the sea and everything that it contains. (Revelation 10:6). “Did not My hand make all these things?” (Acts 7:50).

Etched in the Creator’s eye was the blueprint for a delightful New World. It would be defined by the freedoms and limitations of the time-space dimension--radically different from anything known elsewhere. There would be life abounding, with myriads of living creatures scurrying about. There would be grass and trees, living things. There would be a new kind of beauty, a sea and sky forming the backdrop for a thriving world of animals and birds and fish.

And it would be complete with a unique environment that would abundantly supply every need of the creatures who would dwell there.

The Great Creator was poised to begin His work. This New Creation would embrace the whole of Planet Earth, a globe of 40,000 kilometers. It would serve as a well-provided dwelling-place for men and animals, fish and birds—a vast host of delightful, vibrant beings, full of life and vigor.

As with any new building, the Creator first directed His attention to the foundations. He did not call for a fleet of wheel barrows and a supply of concrete! The picture He had in mind called for a radically new kind of foundation, something never before seen. It would be built on a new set of concepts, using a new kind of building material, like no other. It would function on new dynamic, foundation-like principles.

Foundation 1
Gravity: The Force that Holds it All Together

We notice first that everything holds together and seems safely anchored to the surface of the earth.

“Amazingly, no one understands just how, but everyone understands that it works,” says our enquiring Observer. “The force is called Gravity and it pulls everything toward the center of the earth. And that is why things seem to be safely anchored down. They don’t fly off into space, a tremendous stabilizing force!”

Gravity, we discover, is one of the four fundamental forces in the New World. The Creator had carefully calibrated its strength to meet the precise need of creatures on the earth. Though its way of working remains a mystery its results are obvious and exceedingly helpful!

“But gravity, important as it is, is only one of a long list of fundamental laws which the Creator inaugurated,” explains our Guide. “Some of the others cover the laws of motion, the laws of heat exchange, the laws of physics, and the laws of chemistry.”

“Each of these was clearly established by the Creator Himself and was set in place as part of a total pattern,” says our Guide. “These laws have remained stable over the years since. Scientists have just in recent times discovered many of their hidden secrets.”

We are tempted to linger longer at this first section of the foundation. But we must move along.

Foundation 2
The Powerhouse

We learn that everything that lives and moves requires energy, and begin wondering where this energy will come from in the New World.

“Even in our human bodies, there is a kind of low level electric current on which the body depends,” our inquisitive Observer states. “This is not often recognized, but the need is there, and it is a vital function of our bodies. A good example is the pacemaker some folks must use, to electrically stimulate their weakened hearts.”

We learn too that even the inside of a tiny atom is really a world of frenetic, electrically-charged activity, requiring energy. And there are a host of other areas as well, especially in the world of nature, where energy is required. Think of the clouds moving across the sky!

Where will all this energy come from?

Our inquisitive Observer has something to say. “I think I know,” he says. “I heard recently about a unique kind of energy called Radiant Energy. It is made of two components, electric energy from the center of the earth and magnetic energy from the earth’s huge magnetic fields. It seems that the Creator joined these two to form electro-magnetic energy and make it freely available everywhere throughout the earth.”

“Sounds like an ideal answer to a great need”! we respond.

We discover that this amazing energy is so commonly available that people on the earth have simply taken it for granted! In the world of science, it is known as Radiant Energy (because of the way it “radiates” along its given path at the speed of light), or technically, as “electro-magnetic energy.” And it is one of the fundamental forces of the world, along with gravity! It is very versatile, changing its function as needed to cover a wide range of energy needs, from a great lightning strike to the movement inside an infinitesimally small atom!

“But the truly amazing thing is this,” our well-informed Observer says. “The light waves move at various speeds and at those different speeds show different characteristics -- dramatically different!”

This is the kind of energy that will flow from God’s powerhouse, to fill a crucial need of the New World! So the second part of the foundation is this truly amazing energy supply! Wonderful indeed!

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Electro-magmetic energy is a well-known phenomenon in the world of science. It is found everywhere in our world and fulfills a large number of vital roles. The EM Energy Spectrum ranges from radio waves to the energy required for visible light (with microwaves and infrared rays between), from ultraviolet rays to the ultra-tiny electric energy binding molecules to one another, (known as the intermolecular force, with x-rays and gamma rays between).

Our very efficient Guide reminds us, at this point in our Journey, that “God created everything... on the earth. He made all the things we can see and the things we can’t see.” (Colossians 1:15, 16).

“And that includes this marvelous supply of energy,” the Guide went on. “God the Creator indicated it would become part of the new foundation and that it would remain stable as long as the earth itself would stand! And that is why people over the years have been able to count on the stability of the physical world.”

Foundation 3
God's Mighty Mite, The Atom

As we continue our amazing Journey, an additional part of the foundation comes into view. It turns out to be a fabulous centerpiece of the Creator’s new foundation, God’s Amazing Building Block, the Atom.

The Great Creator, when choosing His building blocks for this wonderful New World chose, amazingly, to dip into His resources in the “nanoworld” of tiny marvels—atoms and molecules!

These Building Blocks He chose were so small that thousands could fit easily on the sharp point of a needle! And yet they were versatile enough that, repeated over and over, they could be shaped and molded into everything needed for the environment, and even the food supply, of this new world. These tiny marvels were to fill so comprehensive a destiny that absolutely everything—solid, liquid or gas—would be made from them!

Our knowledgeable Observer beckons. He is anxious to show us an amazing display—the inside view of what an actual atom would possibly look like!

He guides us to an amazing Gallery, where an atom, vastly enlarged, is on display! We are invited to step into a waiting elevator. At each level as it descends, things become smaller—1,000 times smaller at each level! We pass the first level, and find that what had been one meter in size has shrunk a thousand times, to be little more in size than the period at the end of a sentence.

We go further down—two, three, four levels—and finally to 14! Things are now so tiny that seeing them with the human eye has been left far behind. Yet we see things moving. And not in slow motion! What we see is an amazing world of tiny, tiny particles—whirring around at furious speeds—inside the confines of the smallest atom! There are protons and neutrons, tiny charges of electrical energy, and ‘quasars‘, tiny particles of matter.

This tiny bundle of frenetic movement and electric energy is the inside of just one atom, one of God’s Dynamic Building Blocks! And it measures only 1/14,000,000th of a meter! Infinitesimally small!

Our science-minded Observer explains that this is what an atom possibly is like on the inside! “It is held together by tiny bursts of electric energy,” he goes on, “and can be molded into every kind of matter! And this, the most versatile of all materials, is the Building Block, the Mighty Mite, chosen by a Wise Creator for His New World!”

Having seen the marvelous spectacle of the inside of an atom, we enter the elevator to ascend again to the level of normal things. We are awestruck that God should be working with such a Building Block as this for His base material!

The “Periodic Table of the Elements” as of March, 2010 contains 118 atomic structures. All matter is made from one or more of these elements.

As we ascend, our Observer points out an astonishing fact. He tells us there are 118 kinds of these tiny atoms! Each has a distinctive structure and a different way of working and reacting with other kinds of atoms. And when joined in combination with other atoms, each takes on a different characteristic, providing for all but infinite variety.

We realize that we have been let in on one of the amazing foundational secrets of the world the Creator was making! From these lowly Building Blocks everything in the world that had substance would be made!

How amazing!

Foundation 4
God's “Life Stand”

“But wait till you see the next step in the Master Architect’s plan!” our Guide exclaims. “It is the most astonishing of all!”

“A new and revolutionary concept flowed from the fertile mind of the Great Creator,” exults our very knowledgeable Guide. “It was an infinitesimally small but amazingly power-packed ‘Life Strand’ and the DNA it carried!”

And it turns out to be the most important single factor, apart from the Creator Himself, in bringing life to the New World!”

DNA was God's idea!

When James Watson and Francis Crick unveiled their concept of a newly discovered DNA structure (in April, 1953), little did they realize that they were actually “standing on hallowed ground”. They were handling, with God's permission, something God Himself had made!

They had uncovered a structure God had devised-- a ladder-like assembly of “base pairs” (so called because each unit is two tiny proteins joined like the rung of a ladder). carrying huge amounts of genetic information. Their discovery opened the way for an understanding of the amazing things the Creator had done with the DNA. He had made it the basis for every kind of life on earth -- plants and trees, fish and birds, animals and insects, and (in a special category) human beings.

The Human Genome Project (1993 to 2003), called “the greatest and most ambitious scientific undertaking ever seen,” focused attention on one representative strand of human DNA. It found 3 billion base pairs of genetic information on part of a two-meter-long gossamer strand, all arranged in precise sequence. This strand was made up of 46 chromosomes (clusters of genes) beginning with chromosome No. 1, which has (by actual count) 263 million base pairs. These together formed a blueprint for ALL the parts and functions of a human body.—an absolutely amazing picture, providing unbelievable detail!

We naturally ask, “How did this complex DNA structure come to be? Who (or what) produced it?” And the very structure of the Strand tells us:

It could not have been produced by any natural process, including “blind chance” , (no process is known that remotely has the capability of producing such a complex unit);

Whoever made it of necessity had to have great intelligence, great powers of memory, great wisdom, and great abilities in making things—a vivid picture of none other than a Great Creator!

So, on the basis of the most authoritative scientific studies available, we conclude that the Creator Himself made the human DNA Strand! This is in complete harmony with the statements recorded in the Bible,“You made …the earth and everything that is on it. (Nehemeah. 9:6)” When God “created the earth,” He also created “everything in it!" (Acts 14:15), including the DNA! He had made that representative DNA strand, the original had come from His hand!. It’s the only way a DNA Strand could be made!

Amazingly, it turns out that there are six marvelous creative steps that the Creator-God took, each required logically by the very nature of the DNA strand (as we now know it):

He first planned and originated the concept of DNA, and its ladder-like strand.

He began with a comprehensive concept of man’s body and it’s every detail (including every cell in the body, 100 trillion of them!) It’s the only way a DNA Strand could be made!

He developed this concept in His mind so concretely that He was able then to “translate” that information into the protein-based genetic code!

He compressed that mass of information, requiring 3 billion base pairs to express it, on to just 2% (according to the Human Genome Project) of the length of a DNA strand.

He then placed one copy of this DNA in every cell of the body—100 trillion of them!

All of this was so precisely accomplished that when, in the end, the DNA was all activated and God imparted an eternal spirit, “man became a living being." Every step had been accomplished to perfection.

What a Great Creator-God!

It is an unmistakable display of The Creator’s amazing handiwork. It is truly awesome in its nature and in its workings.
It makes us acknowledge the greatness of the Supreme One and the astounding wonders of what He was about to do in creating life in the New World!

“These Life Strands, and the DNA they carry, have been recently ‘discovered’. But they are not new,” our Guide explains. “They have proven themselves billions upon billions of times over as they have shaped and molded all the living creatures that have walked the earth.”

We turn to our inquisitive Observer, now an enthusiastic member of our entourage, and he provides for us a fuller explanation. “Amazingly, God has provided through men and women of science,” he explains, “a wealth of information in recent years regarding the Life Strands and the DNA carried on them. He had determined that this Life Strand would be one of the four key elements of His new ‘foundation.’ And He shares with us the knowledge of what He has done!”
The complete picture of the Life Strand includes three vital procedures, taking us far beyond the structure of the strand itself:

“First there is the Creation of the DNA. This is the all-important Master Life Strand, which God Himself in each case is responsible for Creating! This Master Life Strand carries no fewer than an amazing three billion “base pairs” of coded instruction, somehow compressed by God’s hand on to just 2% of a gossamer-like strand! This forms the complete blueprint for a human body (or other living organism) covering every moment of its life.

“The second portion of the Life Strand saga is the Copying or Replication process. The Master Life Strand itself is carefully preserved, and a copy is made, called a Messenger RNA (mRNA), with only one “word” changed. Here, in a complex process, precise copies of the DNA strands are made. Millions of them!

“And the third step? It can be called the ‘Control (or Switching) Process’ and is the most astounding procedure of all! In this step, the information on the DNA (with its three billion units) is made to flow to each of the cells in the body (100 trillion of them!), on a moment-by-moment basis.

Here, the DNA Strand is activated, the DNA springs to life when its “switch” is thrown. And the form or function “described” on the DNA becomes a reality! The message sent from the DNA is received by the body cells being constructed, and the finished product, precisely matching the pattern on the DNA, takes its form!”

And how does the information flow from the DNA to the body cell? The answer is obviously a hugely complex telecommunication system (at a sub-atomic level), linking the three billion base pairs of the DNA with 100 trillion cells found in the human body, on a moment-by-moment basis! What a picture of the infinite complexity of the human body as our Great Creator designed it, and its way of working! What an unspeakable mystery!

We realize we are looking at something of immense complexity and deep significance! All of the DNA information is involved. The portion that has to do with “The Present Moment” is searched out, and each of the base pairs that has a message for that location at that moment of time is activated!

Whether the instructions are for the growing fingers of a child’s hand, or the changing texture and color of a fall leaf, it fulfills its vital objective, governing the changes dictated by the DNA for that moment of time. Completely! Accurately! Perfectly!

“And wonder of wonders, it works! Every moment of every day, at every stage of the life of that organism, it works! And of course if it should fail to work, the organism dies. It’s a life or death matter!” He concludes. “And the Creator-God holds this mysterious activating process in His hands, not sharing it with others.”

But the greatest of all wonders is still to come in the case of humans! Even after the human body had been fully formed, there is still one vital “part” missing! A God-designed eternal spirit must be joined with that God-designed human body before it is truly complete! And it is at the moment when this eternal spirit is granted that man becomes fully alive, just as God intended for him to be.

Why a “Life Strand”?

The author has spent endless hours researching DNA and its various elements. Through reference books and the Internet, he has found a veritable gold mine of valuable information and deep insights. There are scholarly pieces in reputable encyclopedias, there are numerous studies conducted by well-known universities. There is a wealth of research papers and well-thought-through articles covering every conceivable aspect of the DNA and its functions.

But having assimilated this mass of information, he was left with the feeling: something is missing here! Each area had been dealt with exhaustively. There is a grand array of sophisticated thinking and well-developed explanations. But each one ends in itself—there is nothing that ties all the vital elements together! And the greatest gap was this-- no way had been found to produce an actual living organism! Even though the DNA is there, with its blueprint for the entire structure of a living entity, no living entity was being produced (even though there were reports of numerous attempts to somehow “create” life--all fruitless). We had sophisticated presentations about living things -- but no living things resulting! Yet in the real world these actual living things were crowding around us on every hand!

Finally, the light dawned: we did not need more information. What we needed was a way to bring it all together. And in such a way that a true living organism would actually result. In other words, how could this wealth of information be put together in such a way that the intended living entity--plant or animal-- would be the result? So he went to work, carefully, to devise a formula that would pull together the things he had learned both from true science and from the Scriptures, especially concerning DNA.

The formula he came to was to bring together the three main elements concerning DNA:

The Creation of the Master Strand of DNA (including its preservation)

The Copying of the DNA Strand (the Replication process) and

The Control of the DNA Strand, (spoken of as “switching”, or activating).

These three procedures (3 C’s) seemed to summarize the main events having to do with the DNA, and together with the DNA Strand itself, presented the full story. And above all, they brought the Creator Himself into the picture! Certain zparts of the DNA procedures are still mysteries, held securely in the Creator’s Hand!

So in the case of a human being, we simply bring together the Master DNA Strand and these three “C’s”: the Creation of the DNA, its Copying and its Control (each well-known in the world of science). And we call it, “The Life Strand.” It seems naturally to follow the way God Himself is handling these matters.

It soon became evident that God’s direct hand was required, especially in the creating of the DNA! And in an absolute sense also in the final granting of an eternal spirit. There is no other way the whole human structure could be made to work! And then it all became clear: the Creator has reserved some of these activities with the DNA to His own exclusive use! He will share them with no other!

The Life Strand

Introducing the Three-part Life Strand.

The Life Strand is one single strand, about 2 meters in length. Though finer than a spider’s web, it carries a mind-numbing 3 billion bits (base pairs) of coded genetic instruction--on just 2% of its length (according to the Human Genome Project).

Zone One is the resting place of the Master DNA. It, in turn, represents the full blueprint for the human body, covering every organ and tissue of the body and its growth and development over a complete lifetime!

Zone Two occupies the area adjacent to the DNA itself, and carries the genetic information for the incredibly complex process known as DNA Replication (the code is not yet known by science). This procedure is extremely complex, since the body is made up of about 100 trillion cells, each of which must carry one copy of the DNA. Replication of the DNA is carried out in three steps:

A copy (called an mRNA) of the Master DNA is first made.

Using this copy, a duplicate is made of the ladder-like strand and cut down the middle, producing two half-strands. Each of these, in an incredible process, searches for and finds the matching amino acid molecules it needs, until all 3 billion have been found and the new ladder is complete! This goes on in the body (at lightning speeds) until all 100 trillion copies have been made. Even then, since the body cells have a life expectancy of 120 days, the DNA must be replenished four times a year throughout life!

A super-efficient proof-reading facility checks for possible errors and corrects them—so that in the end, less than one error for every billion copies remains. Even then there are three procedures to ensure that no possible errors are passed on to the next generation

Zone Three (the code used by the Creator is not yet known by science) carries the genetic instructions for fulfilling the main function of the DNA -- to control the day-by-day growth and development of the entire body, through the entire lifetime! An intricate process that defies description! In addition, it would of necessity carry the genetic information for a telecommunications facility, capable of linking the 3 billion base pairs of the DNA with the 100 trillion cells in the body, and on an instantaneous, moment-by-moment basis. This would include two-way communication, on the one hand sending the DNA instructions that cover that specific moment, with information as to the materials needed to fulfill those instructions, and where to find those materials. On the other hand, then, instructions are given on how those materials are to be used in the body’s development and functioning.

It should be noted that this Strand was first designated a “non-coding area” and by some as “Junk DNA,” because it was non-decipherable to science. It has since been found to have an extremely high and meaningful purpose!

“This replication process is carried out until trillions of exact copies have been made and strategically placed (one at the center of each of the millions of cells in the body—100 trillion of them)! It is dizzying as we attempt to grasp the complexities of this process—but it happens millions of times over and with amazing accuracy and speed!”

“3. And the third step? It can be called the ‘Control (or Switching) Process’ and is the most astounding procedure of all! In this step, the information on the DNA (with its three billion units) is made to flow to each of the cells in the body (100 trillion of them!), on a moment-by-moment basis.

Here, the DNA Strand is activated, the DNA springs to life when its “switch” is thrown. And the form or function “described” on the DNA becomes a reality! The message sent from the DNA is
received by the body cells being constructed, and the finished product, precisely matching the pattern on the DNA, takes its form!”

And how does the information flow from the DNA to the body cell? The answer is obviously a hugely complex telecommunication system (at a sub-atomic level), linking the three billion base pairs of the DNA with 100 trillion cells found in the human body, on a moment-by-moment basis! What a picture of the infinite complexity of the human body as our Great Creator designed it, and its way of working! What an unspeakable mystery!

We realize we are looking at something of immense complexity and deep significance! All of the DNA information is involved. The portion that has to do with “The Present Moment” is searched out, and each of the base pairs that has a message for that location at that moment of time is activated!

Whether the instructions are for the growing fingers of a child’s hand, or the changing texture and color of a fall leaf, it fulfills its vital objective, governing the changes dictated by the DNA for that moment of time. Completely! Accurately! Perfectly!

“And wonder of wonders, it works! Every moment of every day, at every stage of the life of that organism, it works! And of course if it should fail to work, the organism dies. It’s a life or death matter!” He concludes. “And the Creator-God holds this mysterious activating process in His hands, not sharing it with others.”

But the greatest of all wonders is still to come in the case of humans! Even after the human body had been fully formed, there is still one vital “part” missing! A God-designed eternal spirit must be joined with that God-designed human body before it is truly complete! And it is at the moment when this eternal spirit is granted that man becomes fully alive, just as God intended for him to be.

An Amazing Gallery

But our Observer is anxiously calling. “Before we go, I want to show you a display of the greatest example of engineering ingenuity ever seen!” he excitedly exclaims. “It is a working model of one of these Life Strands. This will demonstrate for you what these marvels are, and how they work.”

He beckons us to the Marvels Gallery and to a waiting elevator. Again we are descending, and at each step things got 1000 times smaller! We go down, not just one level, but seven--where things become so tiny they are measured in “nanometers”--one billionth of a meter!

And our Observer explains, “Look at that Life Strand in front of you. It is about two meters in length, the height of a man. But it has squeezed onto it three billion important bits of information—in only 2% of the length! If you look carefully, you will see groupings of three ‘codons’, like letters in a book, with three sets of codons then forming one ‘word’--the “triplet” code. It is possible to identify every part of the human body using this code!

“The information needed for a human body (or any living organism) is transferred into this triplet code, and placed on this Strand!” he explains. It’s an amazing display of God’s engineering wisdom!”

“Here is where the Life Strand does its main work!” our Observer explains. “If a piece of hair is instructed to grow longer, that switch is turned on and that hair grows longer! Or if a
baby’s finger bone is instructed to grow incrementally, that switch is pulled, and the finger bone grows longer! Through all of life, all of the physical changes needed are controlled from this amazing ‘Control Station’ through its amazing telecommunication system!”

As we wrap up our tour of the Marvels Gallery, we pull ourselves away from this amazing display and ascend the elevator.

Our Observer explains, “That gives you a simplified explanation of the working of the Life Strand! Each step is necessary--without any part of the process, all the wonders of the other steps would be of no avail. But the three steps together go to make up the process that has worked so well and for so many years in the bodies of millions of people, bringing and maintaining life! And more than that, the same applies to every living thing on this earth -- every tree, every bird, every animal, and every man!”

Our faithful Guide goes on, giving us further, stunning explanation. “Here, the entire process of God’s making of the human body is complete! Preparations have all been made. And right at this point of time, a simply marvelous miracle occurs,” he explains, “It defies description! Here, literally, life begins!”

“This is that magic moment after which men have sought and found it to be an unspeakable mystery,” he continues. “They have found life’s beginnings to be an unsolvable mystery….because life is something only God can give! Nothing men have ever been able to do can produce even a small portion of it!”

“Now let me complete the story,” he goes on. “The Living God has pronounced Himself the Life-giving Spirit. This prerogative of giving life is His, and His alone! At this moment when all the DNA has been activated, the body (or other organism) is complete -- and at that instant, God supernaturally imparts life!

No God, no life! It’s that simple!

“The various parts of the body up to now have been beautiful preparation pointing to a future reality. Suddenly, they are brought together, and become a living entity! ”

“Life up to this point has been merely a future hope,” he exclaims as he wraps up the DNA story. “It has been a future possibility. But now it becomes a beautiful, living reality.”

In one moment, when the DNA has finished all it can do, the Creator Himself steps in. He adds the final touch, activating all of the DNA (which the best of scientists have been unable to do!), now found in 100 trillion copies throughout the body (!), and bringing it all together into a glorious living entity -- a complete body in man's case! And a complete living organism in all other cases.

And at that instant, the other miracle of earth-shaking significance takes place! God imparts the gift of an eternal spirit!

And (as the Bible puts it) “The man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7.) A complete and functioning body designed for life on Planet Earth, and a spirit designed for Eternity, are brought together! And at that moment man is finally complete, just as God planned! This is indeed the miracle of all miracles, the point of high drama to which all else points, including all of the effort and study having to do with the work of DNA.

At this point in our incredible Journey, we begin to realize what a truly amazing foundation we have been privileged to see!

And so it is that just as God’s Dynamic Building Block, the atom, was made the foundation for everything material in the New World, the Life Strand was made the foundation of everything living. These two together formed the true foundation for the New World God was making!

God had fulfilled what He had so clearly announced, “I am the Lord your God...who laid the foundations of the earth.”

Having laid out the four parts of the Amazing Foundation for the New World, the Great Creator is now prepared to move on to another truly Momentous Occasion: